By: Nevárez H.C.R. No. 145
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Amistad International Reservoir, situated on
the Texas-Mexico border near Del Rio, supplies water to numerous
area communities for municipal, industrial, and agricultural
purposes; yet, with a salt content near the upper limit of the Texas
standard for drinking water, the reservoir may become an unusable
resource for all; and
WHEREAS, Two of its main tributaries, the Rio Grande and the
Pecos River, are heavily saturated with salt due to the composition
of the surrounding land, which was once part of a great inland sea;
when dry land emerged, salt from the sea was trapped in the soil and
in underground aquifers; originating in New Mexico, the Pecos
River, in particular, is one of the most saline waterways in North
America and accounts for almost 30 percent of the salt loading of
the reservoir; and
WHEREAS, The upper limit of Texas drinking water standards
for minerals including salt is 1,000 milligrams per liter; when
that limit is exceeded, municipalities that rely on water released
into the Rio Grande from the Amistad Reservoir will face costly
treatment methods to meet state standards; moreover, the elevated
levels of salt may force farmers to discontinue the growth of
certain crops; while fresh water inflow from runoff could help
alleviate the salinity, the potential for such runoff is limited;
and
WHEREAS, The Amistad International Reservoir is shared by the
United States and Mexico, in accordance with the terms of a 1944
treaty; for that reason and because the reservoir's holdings derive
from multiple states, it is incumbent on the national government to
take the lead in addressing this urgent problem; and
WHEREAS, Congress began that process by enacting Section 729
of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 and by
developing a program under Section 5056 of WRDA of 2007,
Pub. L. No. 110-114, that directs the secretary of the army to
rehabilitate and enhance fish and wildlife habitats and to
implement long-term monitoring, data collection and analysis,
applied research, and adaptive management within the Rio Grande
Basin; and
WHEREAS, Past studies must be evaluated to determine a
strategy for moving forward; in addition, it is imperative that
funding and continuing authority for Section 5056 of WRDA of 2007,
which was extended until 2019 in Section 4006 of the Water Resources
Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, be fully funded so that
efforts to solve the salt problem in the reservoir can continue;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby recognize the secretary of the army for the work on the
Amistad International Reservoir and for the effort to continue to
find funds to carry out work related to Section 4006 of the Water
Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.